Anytime is a good time for resolutions. The most successful resolutions offer anticipation of reward or the avoidance of pain. Freud wrote that pleasure and pain are terrific motivators. Here are 5 Cool Ideas for New Year’s resolutions.

1. Be purposeful in everything you do.
You can become much more efficient by striving for purpose in your daily activities. Do you just eat lunch or do you enrich relationships while you eat? What purpose do those two sitcoms serve you every night? What is the purpose of eating that bag of chips? More importantly, what types of consequences await you now that you’ve indulged? Be purposeful in everything you do. Walk with purpose and people will be more likely to respect your time.

2. Resolve not to be mediocre.
Use the freshness of the new year as an excuse for avoiding mediocrity. This can be a challenging task because industry markets products and services to the lowest common denominator. Junk food is marketed to the lowest common denominator. Fast food, for example, is produced cheaply and sold cheaply. Sitcom television is geared toward the masses. The people who produce sitcoms even provide a laugh track so that you’ll know when most people laugh. Give yourself an upgrade. Resolve to distance yourself from the lowest common denominator.